Eagle Boys Pizza founder talks Guerrilla marketing, growing through innovation, how to define your price position. #sbbm

What do innovation, guerrilla marketing, and price positioning have in common? They’re all marketing strategies Tom Potter, founder of Eagle Boys Pizza and Crusty Devil Bakehouse, has used to build his brands.

Apart from a few technical difficulties and interruptions, my fireside chat with Tom extracted some real life marketing gold including:

• Guerrilla marketing tactics that Tom used to launch 10 new pizza shops in 4 weeks in New Zealand, where he and his team came up with a cool idea that attracted a lot of positive attention and some free media action too.

• How a well thought out Price Positioning Policy can help you to focus on what you are selling and the value of your products. Tom mentions how a lot of businesses react to pricing models from competitors, when they really should be focusing on their own products and the value of those products. He shares some wise words that… not every business model you are competing against is the right strategy for the marketplace and if you follow them you may not be around for too long.

• The importance of innovation and how it can distract you from having to compete on price. We discuss some great innovations that he introduced at Eagle Boys and I found it interesting that he was able to find a point of difference in a crowded marketplace for both of his businesses.

• Why checking out your competition can give you some great ideas to differentiate and provide your customers with an experience.

I also get up on my soap box and have a whinge about a fellow public (high profile) speaker who was speaking to a group of small business owners about branding … no naming names! This guy really did not understand his audience:

• he presented a video that had no relevance to the small business owners in the room;
• he talked a lot about what should be done, but didn’t explain ‘how to’ do it and we all love a good how to!;
• he presented a slide deck that was far too wordy;
• his pillars of branding verged on academia not practical marketing tips;
• and worst of all, he left the presentation halfway through the last video without hanging around to chat and answer questions.

Here’s the two papers on pricing that Tom mentioned. Both are great insights in to how to price your product or service:

Understanding Price Perception

Price Perceptions

PLUS I play marriage counsellor by answering a question from a listener who wants to know how to get internal buy-in from their spouse, partner and family in regards to them supporting her in running her own small business.

So that’s it.

If you like what you hear then have your say in the comment section below.

If you didn’t like what you hear, then I would still love for you to have your say.

Feel free too leave a comment below, on the Small Business Big Marketing Facebook page, or join your fellow business owners in the Small Business Big Marketing Forum.

Let’s get that marketing discussion happening.

Until next time, may your marketing be the best marketing …

Timbo Reid
Host of Australia’s #1 marketing show

P.S. If you’re finding your marketing tough then head into the Small Business Big Marketing Forum. I’m in there daily answering your marketing questions. Go!

P.P.S. Tom and I share the same speakers bureau – and you can book me as a marketing speaker at your next event at ICMI.